


pillow forts & princes

by missmichellebelle



Series: this is how flowers bloom [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Babysitters, Alternate Universe - Children, Babysitter!Victor, Fluff, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-13 09:05:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10510620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missmichellebelle/pseuds/missmichellebelle
Summary: What’s easier than babysitting?





	

**Author's Note:**

> for **lubellamy** on tumblr, who prompted: [_23\. “Let’s make a pillow fort. It’ll be great.”_](http://missmichellebelle.tumblr.com/post/159013037930/send-me-a-number-and-a-charactership-and-ill)
> 
> Yuuri is 12 and Victor is 16. I didn't use the underage tag because literally? nothing happens? it's just cute. :x
> 
> also this takes place in a nondisclosed American suburb somewhere idk xD
> 
>  
> 
> [come leave me more prompts, if you'd like uwu](http://missmichellebelle.tumblr.com/post/159013037930/send-me-a-number-and-a-charactership-and-ill)

“Thank you so much for doing this on such short notice, Victor.” Hiroko Katsuki is a warm, friendly looking woman with a kind face and a cozy home, and Victor has no idea how she and his mother are friends. Not that he knows much about their friendship—the first time he’d spoken to Mrs. Katsuki for the first time was two hours ago, when his mother had handed him the phone and claimed she finally found him a part-time job.

“Of course, Mrs. Katsuki,” he says, hoping to allay any and all worries with his charming, parent-pleasing smile. It doesn’t work on his mama anymore, but other parents aren’t generally immune.

Mrs. Katsuki is no exception.

“We normally leave him with our neighbors,” she explains as she leads Victor further into the house. “But they’re at a dinner party across town.” She let’s out a small sigh, but then her easy smile is back in place.

“I’m happy to help, Mrs. Katsuki.” Because his mama had made it clear that he had to, and that he needed to start learning some responsibility and making some money of his own. If anything, he’s incredibly lucky that this opportunity fell into his lap. What’s easier than babysitting?

“Yuuri, sweetheart?” Mrs. Katsuki calls into the seemingly empty living room, and then sighs again, cradling her face as she turns back to Victor. “He’s very quiet,” she tells him, glancing into the living room almost worriedly. “And he has a hard time with new people, so it’s best to be patient with him.”

There’s a sudden outpouring of Japanese from somewhere in the house, which Mrs. Katsuki answers. She seems antsy, suddenly, and then bustles into the living room. She makes it about halfway to the couch before she realizes that Victor is simply watching her from the archway, and then gestures him to follow.

When she stops again, she’s putting her hand on a strangely shaped, blanket covered lump that Victor quite quickly realizes is the boy he’s supposed to be babysitting.

“Yuuri…” she hums softly, pulling the blanket down, and he fights her momentarily for his hiding place before she says something else in Japanese and he slumps, giving up. Victor wonders if this is how his friends feel when they’re over and him and his mama start talking back and forth in rapid fire Russian.

It’s surprisingly annoying.

Mrs. Katsuki continues to speak in low, affectionate tones, and Victor hears his name several times, and Yuuri’s name several times, but otherwise can’t really make heads or tales of what’s being said. Does Yuuri speak English? It’s going to be a really long night if he doesn’t.

Yuuri looks up at Victor suddenly, brown eyes large behind his glasses, and Victor lights up with a friendly smile that… Sends Yuuri quickly hiding again. _Okay_. Another tactic maybe?

“We should be back by 10,” Mrs. Katsuki says, standing up straight again. “Yuuri will go to bed when he’s tired, so don’t worry about it.” She chuckles quietly to herself, as if at some inside joke. “And there are bentos in the kitchen if you boys get hungry. Yuuri can show you where.” With that, she gives her son a kiss on his messy hair, pats Victor’s arm, and is off.

Victor stands there as he listens to the door close and lock, unsure exactly what to do next. He knows Yuuri is twelve—which, frankly, seems a little old for a babysitter, but at least Victor doesn’t have to worry about diapers—but isn’t quite sure what 12-year-old boys like to do. He wasn’t exactly the standard.

“Ah, Yuuri—” He starts, only to see that the boy has covered himself in a blanket again, and is breathing so carefully that it almost looks like he isn’t there. Mrs. Katsuki had said that he wasn’t good with new people, but Victor didn’t think it would be quite this… Extreme.

He taps his finger to his lips, walking around the couch, and sitting near where Yuuri’s feet must be. The sudden jostle of the cushions makes Yuuri jump slightly.

“This might seem silly, but… What’s a bento?”

There’s a small, surprised sounding laugh from beneath the blanket, and when Victor glances over, those eyes are watching him again.

“Is it some kind of fish?” Victor tries, when all Yuuri does is continue to stare at him, and this time he’s greeted with the appearance of a nose that scrunches up in amusement. He leans over and grabs what he believes is an ankle, drawing out a startled noise as he shakes it. “Is that a yes?”

Then there’s a mouth, lips pressed together as if holding in a laugh, and Yuuri shakes his head back and forth quickly.

“Not a fish…” Victor hums contemplatively, fingertip pressed to his bottom lip. “A dessert, maybe? A cake?” His eyes light up, and this time, _this time_ , Yuuri snorts out a little laugh, and Victor feels a tug on his heart.

Dear lord, this little boy is _adorable_.

“It’s…” Yuuri finally says, and _thank god_ , he speaks _English_. His eyebrows pinch together. “It’s like a lunchbox?” Yuuri tries, his voice quiet, each word carefully and thoughtfully selected.

“A lunchbox?” Victor tries to imagine it, but can only imagine those vintage tin boxes with the handle. He has a feeling that isn’t quite what Yuuri means, though.

When he looks back at him, Yuuri is staring at him quite openly, eyes round and curious, and Victor smiles.

“You’re very small for a 12-year-old,” Victor says, and watches as the boy pales and… Immediately dives back under his blanket. Oh. Perhaps that was a little untactful to say? “ _Yuuri_ ,” he coos, shaking the boy by his ankle again. “I didn’t mean it as a bad thing. It was just an observation.”

Yuuri mumbles something under the blanket, and Victor is highly certain it was in Japanese. He almost wants to start speaking in Russian, just to retaliate.

“Come, do something fun with me.” He wiggles his leg again. His mama has told him that he is persistent to a fault, and he always wears everyone down, in the end. Something fun, though… He should have explored more first. He doubts Yuuri will be very forthcoming with what kind of games they have, or even what he likes to do. Victor frowns thoughtfully, staring at the blanket keeping Yuuri from view when an idea hits him suddenly.

“Oh, Yuuri, I know!” He shakes Yuuri with much more enthusiasm, and manages to draw an annoyed sound from the lump. “Let’s make a pillow fort.” He leans slightly closer. “It’ll be great.”

Victor can’t even remember the last time he made a fort. His mama had not been a fan of them, but that really hadn’t stopped him. He’d once made one so grand and marvelous in his bedroom that he’d kept it up for an entire _week_.

“But I’ll need your help,” Victor continues, and is met with a mumbled noise that might be a _why?_ “Well pillow forts are no fun on your own. Besides, I don’t know where to find any pillows.”

For a second, it seems like Yuuri isn’t interested. He makes no noise or movement, and Victor starts accepting that his entire evening will be sitting beside a breathing blanket who hopefully won’t mind if he watches TV.

But then Yuuri is slowly pulling the blanket down, eyes shining with interest, and gives a small smile and a very, very quiet, “Okay.”

*

Between Victor’s height and Yuuri’s apparently expert eye for pillow forts, they create a rather impressive structure. The Katsukis have an alarming amount of linens, and Yuuri has to make Victor promise up and down that they will refold everything and put it back where they found it. If Victor wasn’t 16, he would _adopt_ this child.

When they’ve finished rearranging furniture and weighing down blankets with coffee table books, Victor encourages Yuuri to go inside and promises that he’ll be right behind him. When he crawls inside minutes later, the light is dimmed and colored purple and green through the blankets, and he’s carrying two wooden boxes and a piece of foil.

“You found the bento,” Yuuri says, sounding slightly surprised.

“Oh. Good.” Victor grins. “I wasn’t certain.” He sets them down, and then folds his knees as best he can in the small space. The entire area is cushioned in pillows, and it feels almost like some sort of lavish, royal sitting area.

“What’s that?” Yuuri crawls a little closer, and his cheeks are flushed from all the running around they’d done building the fort. Victor was actually a little surprised by how much effort they both put into it, having to go so far as to twist all his hair up into a bun halfway through the process.

“Well, I’d say we made a pillow castle more than a pillow fort.” Victor makes himself sound impressed, and is a little surprised by how genuine it feels. “And a castle needs a prince.”

“Like you?” Yuuri asks, voice slightly quieter, and Victor pauses where he’s twisting the piece of foil into a ring and stares at Yuuri in surprise.

“Oh, no,” Victor continues, smiling gently as he shapes the foil further. “I am but a humble servant.” He surveys his handy work, and then sets it very gently on Yuuri’s head. Yuuri blinks at him in shock, and Victor presses a palm to his shoulder and dips into a clumsy bow. “My prince.”

He expects a laugh, or maybe a shove, but what he gets in return is a very embarrassed Yuuri, curled into a ball and not looking at Victor at all, almost like…

Oh. _Oh_. How terribly, horrendously sweet. Victor wants to pull the small boy closer, ask him everything about what he’s feeling and thinking, but figures that might be a bit… Much, right not. Or even a bit out of place.

Maybe later, if Yuuri ever feels comfortable enough to come to him about it.

“What would you like to do, my prince?” Victor continues, keeping up the act, and Yuuri blushes even harder, pressing his face into his arms and shaking his head. But he does say something, although Victor doesn’t catch it. “What was that?” He leans closer, and Yuuri squeaks.

“W-we could read?” He suggests, and Victor is slightly surprised. On his mental list of things 12-year-old boys like to do, _reading_ hadn’t even occurred to him.

“Of course. What would you like to read?”

They end up with _The Princess Bride_ , switching off who reads the story of Westley and Buttercup out loud as they eat their bentos (which are _delicious_ , and Victor wonders if Mrs. Katsuki will teach him how to make one).

At one point, Yuuri stops for a moment, hesitantly touching the crown still resting on his head, and says, “I’m too old to have a babysitter.”

It seems out of nowhere, and Victor has to swallow down a mouthful of rice before he can say anything. Yuuri beats him to it.

“My sister left for college last year,” Yuuri continues, voice still quiet, hesitant, and Victor is almost scared to breathe, like maybe the force of an exhale will break Yuuri’s sudden courage. “I… I’ve never been on my own, and my parents were…” He scrunches his nose. “ _Are_ worried.” He looks deflated, and embarrassed, but doesn’t rush to push his parents’ worries away.

“Well.” Victor is sure to keep his voice just as low and quiet as Yuuri’s own. “Maybe we could just be friends, then.”

Yuuri looks at him, seemingly still surprised by every other word out of Victor’s mouth.

It’s wonderfully endearing.

“ _Really?_ ”

“Really.” If it makes Yuuri happier, Victor has no problem calling him a friend. Even if he is a friend that Victor will periodically be paid to hang out with. “If you would be friends with a lowly servant, of course.”

And, for the first time that night, despite whatever voices Victor had inflected while reading, or whatever exaggerated things he had done while building the fort, Yuuri laughs, all the way from his stomach, and Victor can’t help but think it’s a good look on the young boy.

He hasn’t even hit puberty yet, but Victor can almost assure that it’ll hit him like a freight train when it does.

“I would love to be your friend, Victor.”

When the Katsukis get home several hours later, they find both Yuuri and Victor asleep in the fort, Yuuri’s crown thrown aside and his cheek pillowed on Victor’s arm.  Rather than wake them, Hiroko carefully covers them with blankets, cleans up the empty bentos, and calls Victor’s mother to let her know he’ll be staying over. After all, it would be a shame to wake them.

**Author's Note:**

> [come bother me on tumblr <3](http://missmichellebelle.tumblr.com/)


End file.
